The Inaugral Kanto Gym Leaders AGM/Christmas Party
by Kanna-Ophelia
Summary: Festive season cuteness, with hints of Misty/Erika. All Kanto gym leaders in one room... Oh dear...
1. Welcome to the Party!

_**Not mine… This is merely a bit of festive fluff. Hints of Misty/Erika, if femmeslash bothers you.**_

_A Christmas Pokémon fic without even much Team Rocket, I've stooped so low… But this is dedicated to my sweet wife Floria.  Looking towards our first Christmas together… I love you so much, darling, so much. Te amo tanto_

**++++Merry Christmas+++++**

**"The Inaugral Kanto Gym Leader's Christmas Party/AGM"**

Every now and then, the shadowy powers behind the Pokémon League felt it was time for the Gym Leaders of Kanto to associate together, to exchange ideas and debate rules. Unfortunately, as the occupation of Gym Leader seemed to attract rather… eccentric personalities… this was easier said than done.  The Kanto Gym Leaders tended to be reclusive, idiosyncratic and, in extreme cases, disinclined even to open their gyms to challengers. They were not naturally gregarious. 

This year, however, the League rulers had been inspired by a particularly brilliant idea.  The first Pokémon Gym Leaders General Meeting was to be combined with a Christmas party, with gifts for all Leaders and their immediate entourage.  If the good of pokémon training was not sufficient incentive, most gym leaders would turn up for nice pressies of pokémon, dolls or, in a couple of cases, advanced siege weapons.

Flanked by the group of female trainers known, somewhat unfairly, as Erika's Harem, a dark-haired girl cautiously scanned the room.  All in all, Erika adored being the Celadon Gym Leader. Pretty flowers, pretty perfumes, the regular chance to traumatise some boy just starting on his career by humiliating him in front of a room of pretty girls… 

But her job had one major drawback.  More than anything else in her serene, happy life, Erika detested other Gym Leaders.

She carefully skirted the corner of the room where the Gym Leader officially known as ???? was seated among his own entourage, his Persian purring at his feet.  Somehow, despite the fluorescent lighting and stands of fairy lights, the Viridian City gym leader managed to appear half in ominous shadow.  His "trainers" protectively massed around him.  Everyone pretended not to realise they were in fact Team Rocket thugs, despite the subtle clue of a huge_ R emblazoned on every uniform. _

 Erika cast a suspicious glance around, but the white-clad teenagers who had destroyed her beloved Gym were absent. Probably making out in a dark corner.  Surprisingly, Butch was missing too. Only Cassidy and Domino stood at either hand of their Boss, er, Gym Leader. Erika shuddered. Domino was almost worse than her leader .As Erika and her girls crossed the room, Cassidy tore her purple eyes away from her hostile exchange of glares over her employer's oblivious head, and watched the girls with obvious interest.

Erika shuddered, and her own entourage drew closer around her. Cassidy freaked her out. Not as much as Domino, but still…

The grass pokémon specialist cast a longing look over to Aya. She had obviously managed to get her bribe - gift -  early, and was happily practicing with her new nunchakus, despite the obvious inadvisability of such weapons in a crowded room. Erika had always thought the ninja girl would be worth getting to know better.  But Koga was surprisingly protective of his little sister, and Erika had somehow, without quite noticing it, developed a certain reputation.

She glanced around at her escort, and smiled to herself. Well, maybe she had *some* idea where her reputation had come from…

"Well, hello, baby! Still playing in the grass, I see. Ready to make hay yet?"

Erika cringed, but Petunia had already taken command of the situation.  She whirled on Surge, and let out a fast stream of words in which the expressions 'sexual harassment,' 'sleaze,' 'degrading language' and 'back off' were prominent.  Erika gratefully hurried away, under the protection of the hail of angry words.  

"I can't believe him," huffed Hyacinth, the newest trainer at the Celadon Gym.

Erika sighed. "He's really not so bad. Wait until you meet the Pewter City Leader." 

"He's worse?"

"You have no idea." She tossed her shiny bob. "I only hope the Cerulean contingent brought Misty – she can usually keep him in order."

"I wouldn't worry." Petunia, the unfortunate lieutenant properly dealt with, caught up. "I heard they're hiring Officer Jennies as security guards this year. Brock the Rock should be kept well in hand." She giggled nastily.

Erika, who preferred her girls to maintain some decorum, was forming a stern-but-kind frown when far nastier laughter cut into her thoughts. 

"I see you brought your harem, Erika," a monotone droned in the girl's ear.

"Oh. Um, hi, Sabrina. I see you brought your… dolly," Erika said weakly.

Sabrina was, if anything, more beautiful than Aya.  But there was something essentially repellent about her, despite the tight minidress and thigh boots.   Perhaps it was the blank, yet somehow strangely intense stare. More likely, it was the lifesize doll she carried clutched to her chest. Sabrina's green hair flared against her red dress, but she didn't look particularly festive.  Absolutely nothing about her brought either holly or mistletoe to mind.

To Erika's alarm, the Saffron City gym leader went off into a peal of disturbing, empty laughter.  Erika and her girls clung together in alarm.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry, Erika…" A small redheaded girl ran up and put a soothing arm around Sabrina.  "There, there, honey, take your dried frog pills, and you'll feel all better soon.  She's been like this ever since her nervous breakdown," she added sotto voice. "And she we're talking about someone who was already known as the psychotic psychic here." She sighed. "Ash tends to have that effect on people."

Erika smiled. "It's good to see you again, Misty." She was telling the truth. Misty was one of the few gym leaders Erika didn't have recurring nightmares about. 

The tomboyish trainer grinned back, still soothingly cuddling Sabrina, who seemed oblivious to her attentions.  Misty wore a bunch of holly in her messy, asymmetrical ponytail, but otherwise had made no concession to dressing up for the party, in what was clear defiance of her sister's overdressing.  "Well, someone had to provide the intelligence quotient for the Cerulean City gym. And look after Brock with all these pretty girls around. But then, you'd understand about that, Erika." Misty blushed a little. 

To save her embarrassment, Erika asked, "Brock is attending instead of his father again?"

Misty shrugged. "Yeah. His old man's off selling rocks again."

Erika wrinkled her pretty nose in confusion. "Selling… rocks? You mean, gems?" Misty shook her head. "Pet rocks?" the grass pokémon expert hazarded.

"No… Just rocks… Don't ask me to explain it, I can't." Misty shrugged. "But I'm glad for the company. And you, of course." She smiled sweetly. "See, I'm wearing one of your perfumes!"

Erika wondered vaguely how she was expected to smell perfume, instead stepping closer to breathe in Misty's scent. It was one of her own unisex colognes, a fresh and woodsy blend. Sparkling notes of citrus and herbs, softened by green florals, deepened by cedar and vanilla and just a smoky hint of vetiver, right below the threshold of unambiguous scent. Erika smiled. "It suits you," she said, approvingly.  She looked up to realise she was only a few centimetres from the other girl's face.

Misty matched her smile, aqua eyes lighting up, but at that moment there was a high pitched wail. The younger girl bit her lower lip in annoyance. "Hang on, the bimbos – I mean, duty calls.  One of them's probably tangled her hair in the Christmas wrapping."  She ran off in her sisters' direction, abandoning the other two women together.

There was a terrible silence. Sabrina stood there silently, all burning eyes in her pale face.  Erika smiled awkwardly at the emerald-haired girl, trying to think of something to say to someone who, frankly, terrified the wits out of her.  To her relief, the speakers suddenly boomed out, calling everyone to their caring and equal circular positions in the conference room.  "Um, talk to you later, Sabrina!" she said with false cheerfulness. 

As the Celadon trainers hurried off in a small tight group, a small voice floated behind them. "But don't you want to play with me?"  Erika was uneasily uncertain whether Sabrina or her doll had been the one to speak.

"Psycho," she muttered to herself.

_TBC… hopefully before Christmas day makes this redundant. :) ::whisper:: __Reading__ and reviewing is encouraging…_


	2. Business as Usual

An officious Officer Jenny at the door, after cracking a stammering Brock over the head with her cute Growlithe-embellished baton, declared that registered gym leaders alone would be allowed into the inner sanctum. Misty noticed Erika's girls clustered even closer around her, protective hands going around her waist and arms, and felt a vague pang.  She was too busy holding Brock back to analyse her feelings too much.

"I'm Brock, the Substitute Gym Leader of…" Brock dissolved into hopeless stammering as he tried to remember what city he came from, and Misty spitefully twisted his arm behind his back.

"But aren't you worried about _them being left alone?" Koga hissed furiously At the officer of the law, gesturing at ????'s large and highly illegal entourage._

Jenny shrugged. She didn't seem to connect ????'s companions uniforms with any, well, illegal pokémon stealing organisations or anything.  Misty reflected that whatever mysterious breeding process produced Jennies, they weren't cloning for brains.  "There will be presents provided for all registered companion trainers and helpers in the outer rooms," the policewoman declared in her usual husky half-shout. "And the convenors would like to register a protest against certain gym leaders who abused this facility by bringing everyone they knew." Her glare drifted from Giovanni to Erika.

The Rockets had already burst into cheers at the mention of presents. Typical greedy pigs, the youngest Cerulean gym leader reflected, somewhat bitterly.  Thank goodness Ash and his Pikachu were safe at home with his mother, Tracey and his new "employer," where Misty herself desperately wanted to be…  Now there was a general rush towards where Aya had already unearthed the rest of her gifts and was waving around an disquieting assortment of weaponry.  Misty reflected happily that if the Rockets attempted to steal_ her parcels, there would be a fight and a half.  Only Cassidy and Domino retained enough loyalty to fight for care of Persian while their Boss was gone. ???? glared after his attendants._

Misty was too occupied in the next few minutes, restraining Brock in a headlock while attempting to explain to a none-too-bright Jenny that, no matter what the records said, there were actually four Cerulean gym leaders, to notice much of what was happening.  But she _did register that Erika was tenderly embracing each of her escort in farewell. She repressed a sigh of jealousy at the thought. Erika's Harem was just… well, it just wasn't fair, that was all. She didn't articulate the thought further. She did feel a flash of malicious amusement, though, when sexy, bitchy little Petunia, receiving her kiss on the cheek, glanced straight over Erika's shoulder, caught Cassidy's eye and flashed a slow, seductive smile._

"C'mon, you," Misty scolded Brock, and they entered together, Erika at their heels. The inner room had a democratic circle of nasty fake-wood chairs, and some rather sad tinsel and fairylights in a pathetic attempt to disguise the fact that no one really wanted to be there.

There was a quite unnecessarily dramatic whirl of cherry blossom, and the Elite Four entered through the other door. There was an awed moment, then a general rush to sit next to the one with the long purple hair, glasses, tiny suit, and very impressive… pokémon. Prima, or Lorelei or whatever her name currently was, sat serenely amidst the general fights breaking out over her, with a mistily dreamy smile that might have suggested she was above silly human lusts -  or merely that her eggnog had been very well spiked.

Misty expertly lunged for Brock and tossed him over the shoulder, only to discover that he'd made her miss her own chance to sit next to the well-endowed trainer. She viciously wrenched her friend's ear in retaliation. She had been really looking forward to…picking up some tips on training water pokémon.

She glanced around. The only empty seats now were by Erika. The plant princess, already edged on the side of her chair to sit as far away from Sabrina as humanly possible, mutely implored Misty not to let Brock take the other seat next to her. Misty obligingly took it herself, hauling Brock into the empty chair on her left. It was hardly a sacrifice, anyway. Erika wasn't Prima, but Misty had always been att – liked her. The blue-haired girl  bestowed one of her sweet smiles in thanks.

"Merry Christmas, all, and thanks for attending.  Now… to business." The surprisingly young head of the Pokémon league tossed back his cloak, looking disturbingly like a poncy preteen. "Firstly, there have been some serious complaints registered against gym leaders."

"Like, hardly festive, is it, to get us down like this at our Christmas party?" Lily asked, sulkily tossing her candy-bright hair.

"Funny you should object, Lily, as one of the major complaints is that trainers turning up at Cerulean tend to expect a battle, not a lot of bimbos doing bad water ballet," Gary said sternly. The girl pouted, and her youngest sister repressed a snigger.

"But at least," Gary continued, "you girls actually show up at the gym, even if you refuse to work once you're there. We've registered complaints of trainers waiting around for weeks against Blaine and… um… " He glared at his notes, obviously puzzling out how to pronounce ????, and settled for something that sounded suspiciously like 'Giovanni.'  "And I personally would like to register a protest against the use of non-league approved pokémon against poor, naïve trainers, making their innocent cheerleaders cry…"

???? gave the kind of cruelly sinister smile that indicated he spent a lot of time practicing in front of a mirror.

"We've also had complaints against the punishment for losers. I would like to make it very clear that when a trainer fails against you, you are entitled to half the money they carry as compensation – not, for example, to turn them into little dollies and keep them in your playroom." Gary glared at Sabrina, who treated him to one of her long, blank stares. He winced.  "And, lieutenant, just one more sexual harassment suit and you're out of there. You're costing us a fortune in legal fees."

"Maybe they shouldn't keep sending me such babies, then," Surge boomed.

"Lieutenant, the usual age for someone starting their pokémon journey is ten years! I'm sick and tired of getting notes of complaint from their mothers. Which reminds me… Blaine, do you really think volcanic craters make suitable locations for battling young children?"

"When you're hot you're hot!" declared Blaine, incomprehensibly. Everyone ignored him.

"Um, the age question does raise a point, Gary…" Brock raised his hand.

"Hi Brock, how's the loser? And thanks for ensuring that we don't have the same no-show problems at Pewter City as we do at certain other gyms."

"No prob. But I would like to register a protest of my own. There's something severely wrong with the current gym setup.   I'm sick and tired of having my, um, bottom kicked by hordes of ten year olds with their first pokémon. It's getting embarrassing."

"Hear, hear!" chorused three out of four Cerulean gym leaders.

"Maybe it's because all the decent pokémon we have, you stole from me!" Misty shrieked at her sisters. Brock patted her arm soothingly, and she calmed down enough to say plaintively, "I think the gyms should return to being teaching and training facilities. I wish Cerulean's gym was more like Celadon's." She was rewarded by a glowing smile and pat on the hand from Erika, and blushed a little.  The girl had a heavenly fragrance, all earthy mossy scents and flowers. Misty remembered that moment when Erika had leaned in towards her to detect her own perfume, and blushed deeper.

"Yeah, you'd spend more time at home if it included a harem too, wouldn't you, Myst?" Violet grinned nastily.

"I wouldn't mind…" sighed Daisy. Her other sisters looked suspiciously at her.

"All right, all right. Look, it's Christmas. Can you all just promise to make a token attempt to do your jobs, and we'll reconsider the strength of starting pokémon?" Misty noticed, suspiciously, that Gary was immediately less take-action when the question of the administration actually doing anything was raised.  For all the swanky swirling cloaks, Gary was becoming more of a red-tape pen pusher with every passing day as Champion. No wonder his cheerleaders had abandoned him to found a commune with Professor Ivy.  For once, Misty heartily sympathised with Ash on the whole rival question.

At that point, Sabrina caused a distraction by going into one of her fits of terrifyingly insane laughter. By the time Misty had forced the green-haired beauty to take more dried frog pills, the meeting had broken up.

"Hiya, cutie," a breathy voice cooed. "Are the flowing waters of Cerulean leading you down to the ocean yet?"

Misty looked up, straight into a magnificent cleavage. She fell into confused blushes. Some small part of her registered that Erika had stiffened disapprovingly beside her and was pointedly looking away.  On her other side, Brock seemed to be going into some kind of fibre-deep shock.  But Misty was much too flustered to pay much attention to either of them

"P- Prima!" she gasped. 

TBC


End file.
